The United Kingdom (UK) has
announced new funding for entrepreneurs to develop innovative mobile technology
to help tackle development challenges around the world.
According to a statement,
Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell said the new UK funding for innovative
mobile phone technology will help change lives in developing countries.
She underscored that
harnessing AI technology to provide real-time agricultural advice to farmers in
Nigeria and pay-as-you-go solar powered fridges are just some of the ways
UK-funded mobile technology is improving livelihoods globally.
During a speech at Mobile
World Congress last week, Mitchell announced the UK is providing £37.3 million
of new support for the Mobile for Development Programme, to help more people
access mobile and digital technologies to find new opportunities and boost
their livelihoods.
According to her, the
programme, which the UK funds in partnership with UK-based mobile industry
association GSMA and the private sector, has already benefitted more than 94
million people and focuses on women and girls, climate change mitigation,
adaptation and resilience and scaling up innovative solutions.
"Mobile technology has
the potential to revolutionise the lives of the poor by helping tackle the
effects of climate change, creating jobs and boosting opportunities for women.
“The Mobile for Development
programme has already benefitted more than 100 million people, and the UK's new
announcement aims to up the ambition, reaching 110 million additional people,
including 60 million women.
"Together the worlds of
development and mobile tech giants can be a powerful force to unlock
opportunities and prosperity, and meet the UN Global Goals," the minister
said.
Mitchel further noted that the
UK funding has previously helped scale up a digital hub in Pakistan, BaKhabar
Kissan (BKK), which provides accurate weather forecasting data to farmers to
help them make critical farming decisions such as the timing of seed sowing,
irrigation, and fertilisation.
"With the help of this
programme, BKK has almost doubled users from 6.6 million to 12.4 million.
"Another innovative
business, Ensibuuko, is providing digital skills training to help community
saving groups in rural Uganda keep up with the latest digital products and
services where previously they relied on paper record-keeping.
"Since gaining funding,
Ensibuuko has benefited over 236,000 members of rural savings groups, 60
percent of whom are women, providing them with digital skills training,"
she added.
President of the GSMA Mobile
for Development Foundation, John Giusti said for more than a decade, the
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in collaboration with the
foundation have worked closely in partnership to drive socio-economic and
climate impact for the most underserved populations through digital innovation,
and to date our partnership has improved the lives of more than 127 million
people.
He said: “Today’s renewal of
our partnership will further amplify our joint impact by leveraging the power
of digital and emerging technologies to support innovation, improve access to
opportunities for women, and tackle the effects of climate change for the most
vulnerable.”
"With the increase in
climate crises around the world, the need for new solutions to help vulnerable
countries adapt is growing and mobile technology can make a big difference to
people’s lives."
At Mobile World Congress, GSMA
also announced the grantees for its Climate Resilience and Adaptation Fund
which is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
This fund, according to GSMA,
is designed to test and scale up new technology to combat the effects of
climate change in countries throughout Africa and Asia.
"Some of the projects
being funded include one using AI-powered satellite imagery to help smallholder
farmers increase their yields and another to reduce food waste via an online
grocery platform," Giusti added.
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